Genomics and Molecular Medicine, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, India.
PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e52588. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052588. Epub 2012 Dec 21.
MicroRNAs are a well-studied class of non-coding RNA and are known to regulate developmental processes in eukaryotes. Their role in key biological processes such as vasculature development has attracted interest. However, a comprehensive understanding of molecular regulation of angiogenesis and vascular integrity during development remains less explored. Here we identified miRNAs involved in the development and maintenance of vasculature in zebrafish embryos using a reverse genetics approach. Using a combination of bioinformatics predictions and literature based evidences we mined over 701 Human and 329 Zebrafish miRNAs to derive a list of 29 miRNAs targeting vascular specific genes in zebrafish. We shortlisted eight miRNAs and investigated their potential role in regulating vascular development in zebrafish transgenic model. In this screen we identified three miRNAs, namely miR-1, miR-144 and miR-142a-3p that have the potential to influence vascular development in zebrafish. We show that miR-142a-3p mediates vascular integrity and developmental angiogenesis in vivo. Overexpression of miR-142a-3p results in loss of vascular integrity, hemorrhage and vascular remodeling during zebrafish embryonic development, while loss of function of miR-142a-3p causes abnormal vascular remodeling. MiR-142a-3p functions in part by directly repressing cdh5 (VE-cadherin). The vascular abnormalities that results from modulation of miR-142a-3p are reminiscent of cdh5 perturbation in zebrafish embryos. We also demonstrate that the action of miR-142a on cdh5 is potentially regulated by Lmo2, an important transcription factor, known for its role in vasculature development. The miR142a-3p mediated control of cdh5 constitutes an additional layer of regulation for maintaining vascular integrity and developmental angiogenesis. These findings have implications in development, wound repair and tumor growth.
microRNAs 是一类研究得很好的非编码 RNA,已知它们在真核生物的发育过程中起调节作用。它们在血管发育等关键生物学过程中的作用引起了人们的兴趣。然而,对发育过程中血管生成和血管完整性的分子调控的全面理解仍有待进一步探索。在这里,我们使用反向遗传学方法鉴定了斑马鱼胚胎中参与血管发育和维持的 microRNAs。我们通过结合生物信息学预测和基于文献的证据,挖掘了超过 701 个人类和 329 个斑马鱼 microRNAs,得出了一个针对斑马鱼血管特异性基因的 29 个 microRNAs 列表。我们挑选了 8 个 microRNAs,并在斑马鱼转基因模型中研究了它们在调节血管发育中的潜在作用。在这个筛选中,我们鉴定了三个 microRNAs,即 miR-1、miR-144 和 miR-142a-3p,它们有可能影响斑马鱼的血管发育。我们表明,miR-142a-3p 在体内介导血管完整性和发育性血管生成。miR-142a-3p 的过表达导致斑马鱼胚胎发育过程中血管完整性丧失、出血和血管重塑,而 miR-142a-3p 的功能丧失导致异常的血管重塑。miR-142a-3p 的部分功能是通过直接抑制 cdh5(VE-钙粘蛋白)来实现的。miR-142a-3p 调节导致的血管异常类似于 cdh5 在斑马鱼胚胎中的扰动。我们还证明,miR-142a 对 cdh5 的作用可能受到 Lmo2 的调节,Lmo2 是一种重要的转录因子,已知其在血管发育中起作用。miR142a-3p 介导的 cdh5 调控构成了维持血管完整性和发育性血管生成的额外调控层。这些发现对发育、伤口修复和肿瘤生长具有重要意义。